Adjustable table attachment



Dec. 25, 1951 5 F, WEBSTER 2,580,144

'ADJUSTABLE TABLE ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 27, 1950 Mfg/f, 43415473935 4 Inventar ..3 z 39 K 7v ja )6 A llorm'y Patented Dec. 25, 1951 UNITED sTA'r This invention relates to a novel attachment for tables primarily adaptable to dining tables to provide an auxiliary table or tray which is supported solely by the dining table and beneath the level of the top surface thereof and which is primarily adaptable for use as a dining tray for Ya child to replace the conventional high chair and to enable a child to be conveniently fed with the parents or adults at a dining table and while seated on a conventional chair.

Another object of the device is to provide a table attachment which will enable a child to be placed at the parents dining table at an early age as recommended by child psychologists and which is so disposed that the parent can very conveniently feed a child while seated at the table or assist the child in feeding itself.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a table attachment which may be readily removed from or applied to Va table and which may be very conveniently stored or carried, as while traveling, to afford -a means Ifor conveniently feeding a child at -a restaurant Yor elsewhere.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a table attachment 'which Amay be leftl in place on a dining table and which is yadjustable for positioningthe 'attachment completely .beneath the table when not in use.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a table attachment which may be additionally used as an auxiliary supporting surface to a dining table for supporting 'hot Adishes or other articles which might injure the finish of the table surface and which may be utilized in connection with other types of tables, as for supporting a typewriter.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following `description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in Vertical section showing the invention in an applied, operative position;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof, partly Vbroken away and partly in section;

Figure 3 is Aan elevational view, partly in section taken along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

4 Claims. (C1. 311-103) Referring more specifically to the drawing, the table attachment in its entirety is designated generally 6 and includes a clamp, designated generally 'I which comprises a body member and two clamping screws 9. The body member 8 includes a top wall -I El, a bottom wall Il and a side wall I2 which extends between complementary edges of the top and bottom walls and which is formed integral therewith. The top wall I Il is adapted to rest upon the upper surface of a portion of `a table i3, such as a conventional dining table andv the side wall I2 is adapted to be disposed against a portion of the edge of the table I3 and said walls I0 and I2 are lined on their inner sides with felt or rubber `pads I2a to prevent damage vto the table finish. The top and bottom walls Ifil and il are spaced a sufcient distance apart so that the bottom wall II will be spaced from the lunder surface of the table top I3. The clamping screws 9 extend upwardly through threaded openings I4 in the bottom II and are provided on their upper ends with removable pads l5 for engaging the underside of the table top I3 without vmarring or damaging the finish thereof. The lower ends of the clamp screws 9 are preferably provided with wing shaped heads l5 to enable said clamping screws to be readily tightened withv the fingers for detachably securing the clamp 'I rigidly to the table top I3, as illustrated in Figures l and 3.

A hanger post VI6 has an upper restricted end Il which extends through an opening I8 in the bottom II of the clamp 'l and the upper end of said restricted portion ll is flattened to form a head I9 which engages the upper side of the bottom II for clamping the post I6 thereto. The post I6 dependsperpendicularly from the bottcin ll IV and is provided with two rows of diametrica'lly opposed threaded recesses 2i), the recesses of each of which rows `are longitudinally spaced. The hanger post I6 may be provided with va detachable extension iil likewise provided with corresponding threaded recesses '2r and which has a threaded `shank Vv22 projecting from its upper end for detachably engaging in a downwardly opening threaded recess 23 in the lower end of the ypost I6, ,as best illustrated in Figure 1.

A tray, designa-ted 4generally 2.4 has a :back portion 25 which is provided, intermediate of its side edges 26 with an opening 21 to loosely engage the post I6 or its extension 2|. A collar 28 is disposed above the tray portion 25 and has a flange 29 resting thereon and secured thereto by fastenings 30. A second, preferably longer collar 3l is disposed beneath the tray portion 25 and has a larger flange 32 disposed against the underside thereof and secured thereto by additional fastenings 30. The bores of the collars 28 and 3| register with the opening 21. The collar 3i is provided with a radial threaded bore 33, as seen in Figure 1, of the same diameter as the threaded recesses 2|] and which may register with any one of said recesses and through which extends a locking screw 34 having a wing-shaped head 35, which is adapted to be threadedly advanced through the opening 33 into engagement with one of the recesses for supporting the tray 24 at any desired level on the hanger posts i8 or 2! and below the level of the table top I3. The locking screw 34 preferably has a flange 35 which is adapted to be advanced into engagement with the collar 3| for displacing said collar radially into clamping engagement with the post l5. The forward portion of the tray or supporting surface 24 is provided with a recess 31 in its upper side which is adapted to retain dishes or other articles upon the tray 24.

A bar 38 is secured by fastenings 39 to each side edge 26 of the tray and said bars 38 are of a width greater than the thickness of the tray to project above and beneath the top and bottom surfaces, respectively thereof, as seen in Figure 5. Each side edge of the tray 24 is provided with an arm rest 48 which is provided with a groove 4l of T-shaped cross section which opens inwardly thereof and which preferably extends from end-to-end of the arm rest 40. The groove 4I is adapted to slidably receive one of the bars 38 and the edge portion 28 of the tray 24, as illustrated in Figure 5 for slidably mounting said arm rests on the side edges 26 of the tray. The inner or rear end of each arm rest 40 is provided with a recess 42 one end of which opens into a portion of the groove 4I for receiving a headed retaining pin 43, the'shank of which extends through said recessed end, into the groove 4I to detachably engage in a recess 44 formed in the bar 38 and the complementary tray edge 26. Each bar 38 and complementary tray edge 2B is provided with one recess v44, adjacent-the rear end of the bar 33 and two, spaced recesses 44, located near the opposite, forward end of said bar 38. A leaf spring 45 is suitably secured at one of its ends to the intermediate portion of the retaining pin shank and projects transversely therefrom and longitudinally of the recess 42 and has its opposite end seated in an undercut recess 46 of the arm rest 40 and secured therein by a fastening 41. The retaining pins 43 are urged inwardly of the tray 24 by the leaf springs 45 and may be manually retracted outwardly for disengaging them from selected recesses 44 so that the arm rest 40 may be latched in a fully retractedposition,V as illustrated at the left of Figure 2 or in either of two projected positions as illustrated at the right of Figure 2.

It will be readily apparent that when the tray 24 is disposed as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 that a child, for example, may sit comfortably upon a conventional chair and eat from the tray 24 which may be adjusted vertically on the hanger post I6, as previously described, for positionmg the tray 24 at a convenient level for the child, and the arm rest 40 may be extended, as illustrated at the right of Figure 2, to prevent the child from falling from the chair and to provide supports for the arms. When the table attachment 6 is not in use it may be completely removed from the table top I3 by loosening the clamping screws 9 for storage or transportation or by loosening the screw 35 to disengage it from the recesses 2U, the tray 24 may be revolved about the post I6 through an arc of 180 for positioning the tray completely beneath the table top I3 and the screw 35 may then be advanced into a recess 20 in the diametrically opposite side of the post IIB for thus supporting the tray in an inoperative position and beneath the table top.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. An attachment for horizontal supporting surfaces such as table tops comprising a clamp adapted to be detachably secured to an edge portion of a table top and having a bottom portion disposed therebeneath, a hanger post connected to and depending from said bottom portion oi the clamp and disposed beneath the table top and substantially perpendicular thereto, a tray slidably supported on said hanger post in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said table top, and meansfor adjustably securing the tray to the hanger post for supporting the tray at diierent levels below said supporting surface in either an inoperative position completely beneath the table top or in an operative position projecting outwardly from an edge of the table top.

2. An attachment as in claim 1, said tray having a forward portion and a rear portion, f

said rear portion being disposed beneath said table top and being provided with an opening through which the hanger post loosely extends.

3. An attachment as in claim 1, arm rests i adjstably connected to corresponding side edges of said tray for movement to extended positions beyond an outer, forward edge of the tray.

4. An attachment as in claim 1, arm rests slidably connected to corresponding side edges of said tray for movement to extended positions beyond an outer, forward edge 0f the tray, and latch means carried by said arm rests for releasably latching the arm rests in retracted positions or in a plurality of extended positions.

STANLEY F. WEBSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,108,692 Burd Aug. 25, 1914 1,412,630 Richard Apr. l1, 1922 1,460,306 Anderson June 26, 1923 1,683,944 Balch 1 Sept. 11, 1928 

